The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-03-03

missions, the work of which Is to
make ounces and fools on the other
side of the world-people we have
never seen.
Yea, this delusion of Christian religion
shows itself in the fact that it goes to those
who are in trouble. Now, it is bad enough
to cheat man when he is well and when
he is prosperous; but this religion comes
to man when he is SICK and says: "You
will be well again after awhile; you are
going into a land where there are no
coughs and no pleurisies and no consump-
tons and no languishing; take courage and
bear up.''
Yea, this awful chimera of the Gospel
comes to the poor, and it says to them:
You are on your way to vast.estates and
to dividends always declarable." This de-
fusion of Christianity comes to the bereft.
and it talks of reunion before the thron,
and of the cessation of all sorrow. And
then to show that this delusion will stop at
absolutely nothing, it goes to the dying bed
and fills the man with anticpations. How
much better it would be for him to have
him die without any more hope than swine
and rats and snakes. That is all. Nothing
more left Of him. He will never know any
thing again. Shovel him under!
The soul is only a superior part of tha
body, and when the body dsintegrates the
soul disintegrates Annihilation, vacancy,
everlasting blank, obliteration. Why not
present all that beautiful doctrine to the
dying, instead of something with this hoax,
this swindle of the Christian religion, and
filling the dying man with anticipations Of
another life, until some in the last hour
have clapped their hands, and some have
shouted, and some have sung, an
some have been 80 overWr0ught
with joy they could only look
ecstatic. Palace gates opening, they
thought; diamond coronets flashing; hands
reckoning; orchestras sounding. Little
children dying, actually believing they saw
their departed parents, so that, although
the little children had been so weak, and
feeble, and sick for weeks, they could not
turn on their dying pillow, at the last, in a
paroxysm of rapture uncomfortable, they
sprang to their feet and shouted: ''Mother,
; catch mel am coming!"
And to show the immensely of this de-
lusion this awful swindle of the Gospel OF
Jesus Christ, open hospital and bring
into that hospital the death beds of great
many Christian people, and take you by
the hand this morning, and walk up and
down the wards Of that hospital, and I ask
a few questions ask: Dying Stephen,
what have you to say?" "Lord Jesus, re
ceive my spirit" dying John Wesley,
what have you to says" 1.-THE best Of all
is, God is with u.s." ''Dying Edward
Payson, what have you to say:''
Il float in sea of glory" "Dy-
, ing John Bradford, what have you to
saya" "If there be any way OF
going to Heaven on horseback, or in a fiery
chariot, it is this.'' "Dying Neander,
,, what have you to says" 81 am going to
sleep now-good-night." "Dying Mrs.
. Florence Foster, what have you to
says" "a pilgrim in the valley, but
1 the mountain tops all a CLEAN from
peak to peak" dying Alexander Mather,
. what have you to say?n "The Lord who
: : cast me Off now; glory be to God and to
| the lamb Amen, amen, amen, amen u
"Dying John Powson, after preach
ing the Gospel SO may years, what
have you to say?" my death bed
is bed Of roses" dying DIR. Thomas
> Scott, what have you to saya" "Boys,
am going to the front" Dying telegraph
operator on the battlefield of Virginia
what have you to saya" 1.-THE wires are
all laid, and the poles are up from Stony
, Point to headquarters. Dying Paul
what have you to says" II am ready now
! to be offered, and the time of my departure
is at hand; I have fought the good fight,
. have finished my course. l have kept thC
faith. o death, where is thy stinga
grave, where is thy victorya Thanks be
unto God, who giveth US the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ"
o, my Lord, my God. what delusion
: what a glorious delusion Submerge MT
with it, fill my eyes and ears with it, pu
!. it under my dying head for a pillow-thi:
/ al ma for
put it underneath NE for an out-spreat
> wing-roll it over me in ocean surges ter
thousand fathoms deep o, il infidelity
and if atheism, and if humiliation are
= reality, and the Christian religion is a de
fusion, give me the delusion!
= The strong conclusion of every man ant
woman in the house is that Christianity
a producing such grand results, can not be
, delusion. A lie, a cheat, sWindle, an hal
= lucination can not launch such glory of th'
, centuries Your logic and your common
q sense convince you that base cause cal
= not produce an illustrious result; out O.
= the womb of such a monster no such ange
can be born.
There are many in this house this morn
= ing, in the galleries and on the main floor
= who began with thinking that the Chris
= tian religion was stupid farce, who hav,
4 COHto W the COuCluSlOu tIldt III Is b reality
Why are you here to-day! Why did yol
= sing this song! Why did you bow you
!. head in the opening prayera Why did yol
!, bring your family with youa Why, whel
. tell you of the ending of all trials in tn
bosom Of God, do there stand tears in you
= eyes-not tears of grief, but tears of JOY
= such as stand in the eyes of homesicls chill
= dren far away at school when some on
! talks to them about going homea
!, But there may be others here who hav
|, not had early advantages, and if the.
: were asked to give their experience, the,
: might rise and give such testimony as tn
: man gave in a prayer-meeting when n
= said: "On my way here tonight, met
man who asked me where l was going.
: said: i am going to prayer-meet
!, ing.' He said: There are a goo,
many religious, and I think tn
most of them are delusions; as t
: the Christian religion, that is onl
a notion, that is a mere notion, the Chris
! tian religion I said to him: Stranger
! you see that tavern over therer Yes,
!, he said, / see it. Do you see mep sYes
- of course see YOU Now, the time was
IooJv i,,f